Jorge Lorenzo pinpoints what Maverick Vinales is missing ‘above all’ to become a top MotoGP rider

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Jorge Lorenzo has been working closely with Maverick Vinales ahead of the 2026 season and has identified what he is missing to become a title threat.

When Maverick Vinales entered the MotoGP World Championship in 2015 he was highlighted as a future star, which was emphasised when he took victory with Suzuki at Silverstone in 2016.

During his time in the premier class, Vinales has shown flashes of brilliance as he has won ten races, and finished third in the Championship on two occasions. However, he has never put together a convincing Championship challenge.

Ahead of his 12th season in MotoGP, the Spaniard hired former World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo, as his performance coach as he hopes to maximise his second year with Tech3.

After working together since the end of the 2025 season, Lorenzo believes he has identified where the 31-year-old must improve to challenge for the MotoGP title.

Maverick Vinales must improve his ‘mental aspect’ for 2026

During an interview on the DURALAVITA Podcast, the five-time World Champion discussed what he believes he can pass on to the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider ahead of the 2026 season.

Lorenzo said: “It was almost a necessity. I felt I had to pass on my 30 years of experience. I had already worked with him when I was a test rider at Yamaha and knew I could teach him a lot.

“For me, Maverick is top-notch in terms of speed and talent. He just needed to understand certain things: some misconceptions, minor technical details.

“But above all, the mental aspect. I would say it’s 70% mental and only 30% technical.”

KTM are lining up Maverick Vinales to replace Pedro Acosta in their factory team

The 2026 MotoGP season could also be a crucial year for Vinales if he wants to secure a seat in a factory team in 2027.

After taking a gamble and moving away from Aprilia’s factory team to join Tech3 in 2025, Vinales is now being linked to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team as a potential replacement for Pedro Acosta, if he decides to move to Ducati.

Following some impressive performances in 2025 before getting injured, Vinales caught the eye of KTM bosses, and could take his experience with three different manufacturers to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team in 2027.

A successful campaign in 2026, with Lorenzo by his side, would likely all but secure Vinales a spot in the Austrian manufacturer’s factory squad when the new MotoGP regulations come into play next year.